Like mother, Like daughter
by Blondiechick87
Summary: Everybody knows Rory isfuture and other r aelationships be effected by the decisions she makes with Jess? **FINALLY UPDATED** CHAPTER 5 UP!!!!!!! R&R PLEASE!
1. Caught Up In The Moment

**Disclaimer** I do not own any part of Gilmore Girls!  
  
(A/N: This fan fiction is set a week or 2 after the episode when Rory got her acceptance letters and delivered a speech for the Chilton Bicentennial. Please read and review!)  
  
Rory and Jess were sitting in Luke's apartment watching a movie. They were both in particularly good moods that night and were feeling very good about the relationship. When the movie was over at about 9, Rory decided it was probably time for her to go home.  
  
When Jess pulled into the driveway, he decided to be a good guy and walk her to the porch, expecting a goodnight kiss that way anyway.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," said Rory, wishing she didn't have to leave.  
  
"Yeah, tomorrow..." Jess replied, feeling the same way.  
  
Then, Jess leaned in to kiss her goodnight. Afterwards, he started to leave but she kissed him again. This went on for a while until Jess finally asked,  
  
"Where's your mom?"  
  
"She's in New York City at a musical with Sookie and Jackson. She's not supposed to be home until some time after 1"  
  
"Really, a musical?"  
  
"Yeah, Jackson's friend got the tickets and he came down with the flu so they dragged mom into it instead."  
  
"Your mom will be singing show tunes all week." He said sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, probably. Those songs are always annoying but very catchy."  
  
There was a long pause.  
  
"Jess?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you want to come in for a while? I think there's some pizza left in the fridge from last night."  
  
"Are you sure it's ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure."  
  
"Alright, I'll stay for a while."  
  
Rory got the key from its hiding spot and opened the door. After hanging up her coat, she said,  
  
"I have to check the answering machine. Why don't u get the pizza out of the refrigerator and warm it up in the microwave for a minute or two."  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
"Hey, don't mock!"  
  
While she was checking the machine, Rory heard Jess say,  
  
"There's only one piece left, and guess who's going to eat it!"  
  
"Hey, wait a minute!" She called back, rushing to the kitchen.  
  
He already had the slice warmed up and was holding the plate in his hand.  
  
"Oh, did you want some too?" He asked teasingly.  
  
"Yeah, actually I did," she replied trying to sound irritated.  
  
"Well if you want it that much, you're going to have to come and get it"  
  
He held out the plate for her to grab, and then pulled it away quickly when she tried to take it.  
  
"C'mon Jess! At least share it!"  
  
"Why share when I can have the whole thing?"  
  
He held it out and pulled it back again. At that point, Rory started to come towards him and he ran away into her room. When she caught him, he pulled her close and kissed her, causing them to fall back onto her bed. The pizza dropped to the floor, but neither of them cared. They were both caught up in the moment, forgetting everything but each other. 


	2. What Just Happened?

**Disclaimer** I don't own any Gilmore Girls characters!  
  
Rory couldn't believe what she had just done, but she didn't think she was sorry she did it. Just as Paris had said, when two people are in a good relationship, something like this is bound to happen, right?  
  
"Rory?" She heard Jess ask. She turned to him.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What just happened?"  
  
"What do you mean what just happened?"  
  
"I don't know. I just never imagined that you'd..."  
  
"That I'd what?" She asked before he could finish.  
  
"That you would trust me enough to do this."  
  
"Why wouldn't I?"  
  
"I don't know, I guess I just feel...lucky...that you do."  
  
"Oh," she said not knowing what else to say.  
  
"Jess, can I tell you something?" She asked a few moments later.  
  
"Anything," he replied.  
  
"Jess, I think I.....I know I...I love you," she finally blurted out.  
  
There was a long uncomfortable pause.  
  
"I love you too Rory," he said honestly.  
  
"Did you love me before...before this?" she asked uncertainly.  
  
"Of course I did," he relied. "I've loved you for a long time; I just...didn't know how to tell you. I'm not used to all this."  
  
"I know."  
  
She kissed him gently, extremely happy with the way things turned out.  
  
They laid together in silence for a while, until Rory heard a faint noise coming from outside. She didn't think much of it since it was only 11:30 and her mom wasn't expected back for at least an hour.  
  
Just then, she heard footsteps. Her heart started pounding. Her first thought was that it was her mom, but when she glanced out the window she saw that the car wasn't in the driveway yet.  
  
"What if it's a burglar?" She thought.  
  
At that moment, Jess noticed the sounds too and sat up.  
  
Before they had time to do anything, the door handle turned and the door started to open. What stood before them was more horrifying then they could have ever guessed.  
  
(A/N: I want reviews before I post the next chapter so please review!!!...c'mon people just 4 more reviews and I'll post it!) 


	3. Horrifying Intrudor

**Disclaimer** I don't own Gilmore Girls! I'm not that lucky!  
  
"Rory, I just came over to drop off---OH MY GOD!!!!!!" yelled Emily covering her face and turning around to hide the scene in front of her.  
  
"Grandma!" Rory exclaimed in astonishment.  
  
"Rory Gilmore, get out of that bed this instant!"  
  
Rory was speechless as she jumped out of the bed with a sheet wrapped around her. Emily, still turned around, grabbed a robe off of the door and threw it to her.  
  
"Here, take this and get out of here. And you," she gestured to Jess. "You get out! Grab your clothes and leave! And if I ever see you again I'll..."  
  
"I'm going! Ok? I'm going!" He said quickly grabbing his stuff and leaving.  
  
Rory looked helplessly at him from the couch and he nodded a goodbye. She hoped nothing had changed between them since their last conversation.  
  
Rory heard the engine of Jess's car start as her grandmother approached her harshly.  
  
"What in the hell were you thinking young lady?!? Inviting a boy...that boy... in without your mother's permission when she's not even home? That doesn't even sound like you Rory! That little delinquent! I knew he was bad influence on you! You must never see him again do you hear me?!? NEVER!"  
  
"Grandma please!" Rory cried, feeling her eyes get hot and tears begin to well up.  
  
"Please what?!? I just found you in bed doing who knows what with a boy! Do you expect me to be calm and cool about this? Do you expect me to tell you it's ok to have sex with that indolent jerk at your age? And how do you think this makes me feel after what your mother put me through?"  
  
"Grandma, can I please just go to my room until my mom gets home?" she said with tears now streaming down her face.  
  
"No! Why should I let you do that? You're going to stay right here until she walks through that door!"  
  
Just then, a car pulled into the driveway and Sookie, Jackson, and Lorelai came up the front steps.  
  
"...Personally, I liked the part where the short Russian guy ran over the matchmaker's foot with his produce cart! Lorelai giggled as she walked through the door."  
  
"Yeah, and then the paramedic tripped over a prop when she had to be rushed to the hospital with a broken foot!" Sookie added, following her in.  
  
"Hell, they didn't need to sing and act, it was entertaining just watching them screw up!" Jackson said, causing all three of them to crack up again.  
  
After recovering from laughter, Lorelai looked up and was startled to see her mother standing in front of her.  
  
"We have a bit of a situation on our hands Lorelai," Emily said trying to sound calm.  
  
"What are you doing here Mom and what are you talking about?" Lorelai asked, looking at her like she was nuts.  
  
"I'm talking about finding your daughter in her bedroom with that scoundrel she calls her boyfriend...in bed."  
  
"What?!?" Lorelai exclaimed in disbelief.  
  
"Uh...maybe we should go," Sookie said, feeling invading.  
  
"That may be best," Emily answered for Lorelai, who was still in shock.  
  
"Mother, leave!" Lorelai finally spoke up, trying to keep cool.  
  
"Lorelai, I found them. I think I have the right to be here while you---," she was cut off.  
  
"I know you found them and I thank you. Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave."  
  
"But Lorelai..."  
  
"GO!"  
  
"Alright, but I had better get a call from you tomorrow!" She said, picking up her purse and slamming the door behind her.  
  
(A/N: Please review so that I know people are reading this! That way I'll keep working on new chapters!) 


	4. Memories, Memories

**Disclaimer**I, of course, do not own any part of Gilmore Girls!  
  
(A/N: I made this longer for the people who wanted longer chapters and I tried my best to make it a little bit more detailed for you, Jason! Thanx for the reviews and keep them coming!)  
  
There was a long silence before anyone said a word.  
  
"Mom I..."  
  
Rory's voice faded off. She didn't know what to say. She felt like she had let everybody down.  
  
"What in the hell has gotten into you?" Lorelai finally asked.  
  
"I didn't...I didn't think I'd...I didn't know...nothing has gotten into me mom, I just...I just wasn't thinking." Rory fumbled with her words.  
  
"Damn right you weren't thinking! And I thought you were going to talk to me about this before anything happened! I thought I could trust you Rory!"  
  
"You can trust me mom! Nothing has changed!"  
  
"What do you mean nothing has changed? Everything has changed! Were you going to hide this? Did you expect me to not figure out what you were doing? And besides all of that, did you even do it safely?"  
  
"Of course we did mom. Do you really think I'd be that irresponsible?"  
  
"Things can still happen you know," Lorelai said quickly. "You may think you're safe but you can never be sure. I'm making an appointment tomorrow; you're going on the pill. And since you have lost my trust you are not going out with Jess for a loooong time now. It's from home to school and back home for you! If you think Boo Radley had it bad, you're in for a big, unpleasant surprise!"  
  
"So all of this is just for doing something that most teenagers my age do?" Rory asked with an irritated tone in her voice.  
  
"You're not most teenagers Rory! And plus some may do it but I wouldn't say most. You're smarter than all of them anyway; I thought you knew better than this!"  
  
"You're not mad because of what I did! You're just upset because Grandma found us! Well I'm sorry but it's not the way I planned for it to turn out either!"  
  
"That is not why I'm upset! I'm upset because I thought you could tell me anything! And I thought that you were going to hold off on all of this until after college. I also thought you had your priorities straight! I don't want what happened to me to happen to you!"  
  
"Oh! Well I'm sorry that I ruined your life!"  
  
"Rory, that's not what I meant and you know it."  
  
"I'm not going to get pregnant anyway! We used protection, and obviously it's not going to happen again; not for a long time at least!"  
  
"Did he pressure you?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"No he didn't pressure me! It just happened! I wanted it to happen!"  
  
"Why didn't it happen with Dean?"  
  
"Oh my God! When will you get off this Dean thing? I know you liked him better but things end, Mom! It's over!"  
  
"You didn't answer my question."  
  
"I never felt the need to do it with Dean!"  
  
"Why not? I thought you loved him."  
  
"I did love him! He was my first boyfriend. I wasn't ready for it yet."  
  
"Do you love Jess?"  
  
Rory looked down and didn't say anything.  
  
"Rory, answer my question. Do you love Jess?"  
  
She looked up, "Yes, I do."  
  
"Why are you ready with Jess if you weren't ready with Dean? Is there some reason you trust Jess more because if there is I'm dying to know," Lorelai snapped sarcastically.  
  
"I'm older now. I'm surer about my future. I'm ready to make big decisions like this."  
  
"Hun, nobody is ever really ready to make big decisions, and just because you got accepted to the colleges you wanted doesn't mean your life is set. You have a lot ahead of you! Anything can happen, don't forget that!" Lorelai stated, starting to calm down.  
  
"I know that, but this is not going to affect my future."  
  
"It could."  
  
"It won't."  
  
"Don't ever be so sure my dear, one thoughtless moment can change the rest of your life forever."  
  
"I'm never thoughtless."  
  
"Did you know this was going to happen tonight?"  
  
"Well...no."  
  
"Then you didn't really put much thought into it, did you?" She said accusingly.  
  
"I guess not...but I thought enough about it to be safe."  
  
"That's what you think."  
  
"That's what I know. I'm not going to turn out like you, mom. I'm going to go to college and become an over-seas correspondent and live a happy, planned out life.  
  
"Not everything goes as planned in life. Sometimes you can't control the future."  
  
"I never fail at what I set my mind to."  
  
"You haven't in the past, but you could if you slip up."  
  
"I have control over this."  
  
"This isn't something that is easy to control."  
  
"Maybe it wasn't for you, but it will be for me."  
  
"Are you sure this is what you want to do? Are you completely positive?"  
  
"I'm as sure as I'm ever going to be."  
  
There was a pause for a moment, and then Rory asked,  
  
"Are you ever going to trust me again?"  
  
"Not for a long time."  
  
"Are you still mad?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm still mad, but I'm tired of fighting tonight. Go to your room and get some sleep. We'll figure out the confinements of your punishment tomorrow."  
  
"Oh god, I'm starting to sound like my mother," Lorelai thought.  
  
That night, as she tossed and turned in bed, Lorelai had a horrific flashback in her dreams.  
  
(flashback)  
  
Lorelai's hands shook as she opened the package of the pregnancy test and read the instructions on the back.  
  
"I couldn't be pregnant. The test is going to come up negative, I know it," she thought, trying to comfort herself.  
  
"Lorelai! Dinner will be ready in 15minutes!" Emily called from down the hall.  
  
She quickly did the test and waited about 10 minutes until it started to show up. When she saw the color it turned she instantly felt sick to her stomach. The room started spinning and she thought she was going to faint.  
  
"Lorelai! If you don't come now you won't get to eat!"  
  
The call of her mother snapped her back into reality.  
  
"Oh no," she thought. "What am I going to do? How am I going to tell them? I should tell Chris first, yes, he definitely deserves to know first. Oh God, I can't believe this is happening!"  
  
She quickly threw the test away in the trash can and ran downstairs to eat. She tried to act natural, but she couldn't get anything past Emily.  
  
"Lorelai, you look pale. Is everything alright?"  
  
"Yeah Mom, everything's fine." She answered trying to hide her anxiety.  
  
"Richard, doesn't she look pale? Maybe you're sick. I'll call the doctor tomorrow morning and make an appointment for him to see you."  
  
"No!" Lorelai exclaimed quickly. "No mom, I'm fine, I promise. I was just a little weak from being hungry that's all. You don't need to call the doctor."  
  
"Alright, but if you still look that way tomorrow I'm making an appointment, no buts about it."  
  
That night, Lorelai took a hot bath to relax and went to bed early. Emily was still worried and suspicious though, and wondered what her daughter wasn't telling her. She walked past Lorelai's bathroom and sighed as she bended down to pick dirty clothes up off of the floor, mumbling under her breath about how hard it is to find good help these days. As she was bent over, something caught her eye in the garbage can. She looked at it more closely and took the box out of the trash.  
  
"Pregnancy test?" She said in disbelief.  
  
Then she looked through the trash again, finding the strip itself. When she saw that it was indeed positive, she dropped both items and stumbled down the stairs to where Richard was reading, feeling light headed and ready to black out at any moment.  
  
When she got into the study, she found Richard asleep in the chair with a book in his lap.  
  
"Richard!" she whispered urgently.  
  
"Richard!" she said again, louder this time.  
  
"RICHARD!"  
  
"(snort) What? Huh? Emily? What time is it?" he said, feeling disoriented.  
  
"Richard, I was looking in the trash can in Lorelai's bathroom..."  
  
"Why on earth were you looking through garbage Emily?"  
  
"Richard, listen. I found a pregnancy test," she said, her voice shaking as she fought off tears.  
  
"Emily, what are you talking about?"  
  
"It was positive. Lorelai is pregnant."  
  
"No, she can't be..."  
  
"She is. And that would explain the way she looked and acted during supper....."  
  
Emily's voice cracked and she broke down on her husband's shoulder. Through tears and cries, she said,  
  
"How could she do this to us? How could she be so thoughtless? Everything is ruined. EVERYTHING!" she began to yell in rage.  
  
"Emily, you need to calm down. Yelling is not going to help solve the problem," Richard said trying to be the level headed one.  
  
"Then what do you propose we do?" She asked.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Richard then left the room silently and went to bed.  
  
The next morning, Lorelai got up and went through her regular morning routine of getting ready for school. When she got downstairs, her mother was waiting for her at the dining room table. Her father was not in his usual spot reading the paper, however. He was in his study with the door closed and locked. Lorelai noticed the disgruntled look on her mother's face and asked,  
  
"Is everything ok mom? You look even more crabby and constipated than  
  
usual---,"  
  
Emily started crying again. She had been crying all night and had barely gotten any sleep. She was going to try to stay calm for Lorelai, but she couldn't take it.  
  
"How could you do this to us?" she wailed, her face in her hands. "How could you go and ruin your future like this? You could have had anything, Lorelai, ANYTHING!"  
  
Lorelai's heart started pounding, faster and faster. Her face got hot and red. She felt like an accused murderer...a murderer of her family's dreams. Then, helplessly, she started to cry too. After a while, eyes bloodshot, Emily looked up and asked,  
  
"Do you hate us that much? Were you too confined? Did you do this in order to break out of the binds you thought we had you in?"  
  
"Mom, it was an accident..."  
  
"How was it an accident? You know what you did. There is no 'accident' in what happened."  
  
"But I didn't think..."  
  
"You didn't think what? That it could happen to you? Were you careful? Did you even take the proper precautions?"  
  
"Yes...I guess it didn't work..."  
  
"If you would have just told me, we could have gotten you on some  
  
medication---"  
  
"Bull shit Mom; you would have locked me up and thrown away the key!" Lorelai stopped her mother before she could finish.  
  
"I don't appreciate your language young lady! I am trying to help you!"  
  
"Well your interrogation is NOT helpful to me!"  
  
For a few moments, nobody said a word.  
  
"I'm late for school, I need to go," Lorelai finally said.  
  
"I already called them and told them you had the flu. We need to go to the doctor today and get things checked out. Then you are going to go to your room and stay there. Rosa will bring your meals to you. You will not be able to watch television, talk on the phone, or listen to music for a long time. We will get you a private tutor for school and the only time you will come out of your room is for the daily 20 minute exercise program you will be on to keep the baby healthy."  
  
"But mom...  
  
"No buts. You got yourself into this situation and you will have to accept the consequences! Now go up to your room and take a nap. Your appointment is in three hours." Emily gestured that this was the end of the conversation.  
  
(BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!)  
  
Rory hit the off button on her alarm just as it went off. She wasn't sure how she was going to face the remnants of the events of the night before, but she knew she had no choice. She got up and went into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. If she had to fight some more, at least she needed something to give her the energy to do so. 


	5. Explanation of a cat murderer

Jess groaned as the alarm rang in his ear. Knocking it off of the make-shift nightstand, he trudged into the bathroom to take a shower. When the water hit him, the events of the night before came into view.  
  
Leaning his head against the wall, he replayed the night in his head. He didn't want to get upset, and hi tried hard not to, but his instincts made him freak out over the situation. Then, he thought about Rory. None of this was her fault, but he felt the need to blame someone.  
  
"I can't get mad at her...That would ruin everything. I'll just avoid her...yes...I'll avoid her," thoughts raced through his mind.  
  
When he was finished showering and dressed, he went down the stairs to grab a doughnut and get out of the diner as soon as possible.  
  
"You got home late last night," Luke commented while he was scribbling down an order.  
  
"I was out," Jess replied shortly.  
  
"Well next time you are 'out' let me know where you are and when you'll be getting back, got it?"  
  
"Yeah, whatever," Jess said as he grabbed a glazed doughnut and left.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Kirk butted in.  
  
Irritated, Luke asked "Kirk, why don't you get a girlfriend? Or hell, even a pet?"  
  
"I had a gerbil once...he died. It was very tragic," he bowed his head. "He vell into his own water bowl and drowned."  
  
"Well then get a fish. They can't drown," a man sitting next to him suggested.  
  
"They make the house smell. Mom wouldn't like that," Kirk replied.  
  
"How about a cat?" the middle-aged woman on his other side added.  
  
"Kitty litter gives me a rash."  
  
"What about a dog?" Luke questioned.  
  
"I'm deathly allergic."  
  
"Alright then," Luke grabbed a pot of coffee and walked around the counter to refill cups.  
  
The Gilmore house was strangely quiet as Rory fumbled with the coffee pot.  
  
"Damnit!" she cursed. "We really need to buy a new one of these." She was expecting a reply to her profane ranting, but none came. "I wonder where she is," she thought.  
  
After checking the whole house, Rory concluded that her mom ahd gone elsewhere. "That's strange," she thought. "I thought she'd be up and ready to give me her punishment by now." Her attitude had not changed very much since the previous night.  
  
About a half an hour later, Lorelai came back home. Rory heard her come in and held her breath as she went to greet her. When she got to the entranceway, she stopped. There were tears in her mother's eyes.  
  
"Mom, where have you been?" Rory asked.  
  
"I went for a drive. I needed some time to think," she replied, wiping a tear from her cheek.  
  
"Why are you crying?" Rory wondered aloud.  
  
"I..." she sniffled, "I was deep in thought while I was driving, and I was upset and angry and..." she paused hesitantly so Rory cut in.  
  
"Were you crying because of...me?" she asked cautiously.  
  
"Well, partly..." she looked down in unusual discomfort.  
  
"Mom, what is it?" Rory demanded impatiently.  
  
"I ran over Babbett's cat with the jeep!" she said and broke down histerically. Rory looked at her in disbelief. "Not only am I a bad mother," she wailed, "but I'm also an irresponsible driver and a cat murderer!" Rory helped her to the couch.  
  
"You're not any of that, Mom," she said trying to calm Lorelai down.  
  
"Oh yeah? Then why didn't you tell me you were going to have sex with Jess? And why is my mother constantly disappointed with me? And by God why is there a dead cat lying on the road?!?" she dropped her head in her hands.  
  
"You mean you just left it there?" Rory's eyes grew wide.  
  
"What was I supposed to do with it? I was upset and I had a lot of other things on my mind!"  
  
"Mom, I'm..." Rory sighed. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for it to turn out like this..."  
  
"You took a risk," Lorelai said  
  
"I know."  
  
"You're not typically a risk taking person."  
  
"I know that too," Rory looked at her feet. "I just wanted to be...spontaneous for once."  
  
"Well take a drive with no shoes on, or walk around in your underwear or something next time you feel like being 'spontaneous'," Lorelai snapped back. There was a long silence until she said, "I'm sorry. Bickering won't solve anything. I guess I can't really control that part of you anymore, but if you make choices like the one you made last night, I'm going to make sure you take every precaution necessary. I won't let you make the same mistakes I made."  
  
"But Mom, I..." Rory interrupted.  
  
"No buts! I'll make you an appointment with my doctor for next week and..."  
  
"Mom!" she exclaimed, grabbing Lorelai's attention.  
  
"What?" she retorted.  
  
"I'm not going to do it again," Rory looked her straight in the eye.  
  
"What do you mean you're not going to do it again?"  
  
"I don't want to sleep with Jess again. I've worked too hard for what I have and I'm not going to risk it for anything," she said confidently.  
  
"And you're sure about this? You're not lying are you?" she asked with suspicion.  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"Sorry, sorry...I just had to make sure," Lorelai responded.  
  
"Are you ever going to trust me again?" Rory pleaded.  
  
"Don't push it."  
  
"Gotcha," she said, ending the conversation.  
  
A few minutes later, Rory realized that she would have to tell Jess this information too.  
  
"I...uh...gotta go talk to someone," she said, trying quickly sneak out the door.  
  
"Hold it!" Lorelai called, stopping Rory dead in her tracks. "Come clean Ror."  
  
"Mom, I need to talk to Jess. It's important. I'll page you later?" she reacted unsurely.  
  
"What is so urgent that it can't wait?" Lorelai pried.  
  
"Mom, quit prying."  
  
"Don't I have a reason to pry?"  
  
"Not if you have an ounce of trust left in me," Rory debated.  
  
"Go," Lorelai said, pointing to the door. "But be back in two hours. I'll have take-out ready."  
  
"Ok, thank you," Rory started to leave but went back when she remembered something. "Mom...what about the cat?" she asked.  
  
"Oh no! I almost forgot," Lorelai exclaimed.  
  
"Can you face Babbett alone?" Rory questioned sympathetically.  
  
"Um...well...it's going to be hard either way. I guess we both have a lot of explaining to do. You go take care of Jess..." Lorelai answered hesitantly.  
  
"Mom, would you like me to come with you?"  
  
"Oh you don't have to..."  
  
"Mom," Rory stopped her.  
  
"Well, if you insist," her mother responded innocently. Then she grabbed a light jacket and they finally left together.  
  
When they walked up to the doorstep, both looked at each other expecting the other to ring the doorbell.  
  
"Well?" Rory urged.  
  
"Oh, I thought you were going to do it," Lorelai hinted.  
  
"Hey, I'm just here for support," Rory reminded her mother.  
  
"Damn," Lorelai mumbled under her breath.  
  
"Don't you think we should bring the cat up here or something? It's going to look so sad and lonely down there on the road," Rory looked sadly towards the direction of the accident.  
  
"It's dead hon, it will look sad no matter what."  
  
"You just don't want to touch it," Rory taunted.  
  
"Do you?" Lorelai snapped back.  
  
"Well no..."  
  
"Then we don't need to pick it up."  
  
"Yes ma'am" Rory agreed.  
  
Then, Lorelai took a deep breath, closed her eyes and rang the doorbell. The sweet resident came out with a gigantic smile on her face as usual.  
  
"Lorelai! Rory! What are you two doin' over in my neck of the wood?"  
  
"Um....." the couple said in unison.  
  
"Why don't you gals come in? Make yourself comfortable. I just made cookies."  
  
"That's ok," Rory said quickly.  
  
"Yeah, uh, it's kinda nice out here," Lorelai finished.  
  
"What's the matter with you two? You never decline my homemade cookies!"  
  
"Babbett, Mom has something to tell you," Rory said, staring down her mother. Lorelai gave her a glare before turning to Babbett and explaining the situation.  
  
"Maybe we should go inside so we can sit down," she began.  
  
"Oh sure honey, follow me," Babbett gestured towards the living room. Rory and Lorelai had to duck slightly as they entered because of the short doorways specially made for Babbett's short stature. The living room was painted a warm, yellow tone with knick-knacks adorning every shelf and table. Lorelai sat down quickly, ready to get everything off her chest.  
  
"Rory and I got into an argument last night, and this morning I got up early to take a drive and cool off," Lorelai explained.  
  
Babbett listened patiently.  
  
"I was a little...upset as I was driving," she went on. "And when I was almost home, I noticed something run across the street...but I don't think I stopped in time..."  
  
"Oh baby-doll, I'm so sorry. It's always hard to deal with killing an innocent animal," Babbett interrupted. Rory and Lorelai looked at each other with guilt.  
  
"Babbett," Rory said, taking over the conversation. "The animal mom hit was a cat." Babbett's face grew solemn and tears welled up in her eyes.  
  
"My baby?" she let out with a look of horror on her face.  
  
"Well we're not sure," Lorelai added quickly.  
  
"Where is she?" Babbett started to cry.  
  
"Come on, we'll show you," Rory took her by the arm and gently led her outside.  
  
When they got to the road, Rory and Lorelai hesitated to look at the dead animal. Impatiently, Babbett pushed through to examine the scene. When she got closer to the animal, she noticed that it didn't look like her kitty, but it was the same shade of gray. She turned it over with a stick and screamed, "Oh my God!"  
  
"I am so sorry. It was an accident, I swear," Lorelai apologized.  
  
"Honey, I've seen a lot of cats in my lifetime, and this ain't a kitty!" Babbett pointed out.  
  
"What?" Rory and her mother both said.  
  
"Look," their neighbor pointed.  
  
"Whoa..." Rory muttered. Lying before them was a gigantic, cat- sized, sewer rat; face down on the warm cement.  
  
"I can see why you thought it was my precious snookums," Babbett said, drying her eyes. "It's got to be the biggest rat I've ever seen in my life! And I have lived quite a long time."  
  
"What are we going to do with it?" Rory asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I'm not touching it," Lorelai said, squirming in disgust.  
  
"Maybe we should just leave it for the buzzards," Babbett suggested.  
  
"Does Connecticut have buzzards?" Lorelai questioned out of the blue.  
  
"We can just leave it here," her daughter broke the bizarre tangent.  
  
"Why not? It's just a big old rat. I'm sorry, but I don't have much sympathy for rodents on steroids."  
  
"Me neither. You probably did us all a favor by killin' it," Babbett added.  
  
"I'm not sympathizing, but if Taylor happens to stumble upon it..."  
  
"All hell will break loose and scary men in black rubber suits and masks will be brought in to extinguish a herd of giant rodents," Lorelai joked with her daughter.  
  
"Mom, I'm serious. He'll have a hay day with this! He'll call an emergency town meeting and we'll be stuck discussing it for hours on end," Rory retorted.  
  
"But those kinds of meetings are fun! We could bring popcorn!" Lorelai exclaimed.  
  
"Mom, please be serious. I do have something else to do today, remember?" Rory hinted.  
  
"Alright, I'll call Luke and have him throw it into the woods," Lorelai said, pretending to be disappointed.  
  
"Thank you." Rory bided her mother and her neighbor farewell and left for Luke's Diner to find Jess. Boy did she have a lot of explaining to do! 


End file.
